The 3^rd edition of the ASEM Cultural Festival titled Asia and Europe: Cultures Connect is a multidisciplinary arts festival with on-site events taking place in Brussels, Belgium on 15 – 22 November and in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on 22 – 26 November 2021. Various events will also be shown online due to some existing mobility restrictions brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

With the theme ‘Enhancing ASEM Partnerships through Arts and Culture’, the Festival is the official cultural side-event of the 13^th Summit of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM13) to be hosted by the Royal Government of Cambodia on 25 – 26 November. It aims to promote people-to-people connections between Asia and Europe in the field of arts and culture, enhancing ASEM partnership through collaborations and networking. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a myriad of unprecedented challenges, and the importance of cooperation and mutual understanding between Asia and Europe has been further emphasised in these times of global change. 

This year, over 30 events featuring more than 100 Asian and European artists will showcase the rich cultural diversity and creative collaborations from the two regions through theatre, dance, music, visual arts and interdisciplinary presentations. The on-site programme of the Festival includes 6 art exhibitions hosted at the National Museum of Cambodia and 4 film screenings at the Major Cineplex in Phnom Penh. Many more events will take place online due to travelling restrictions posed by the pandemic. To ensure the widest possible reach of the Festival while ensuring public safety, virtual performances and screenings will be available on the Festival’s official website.